16.4.3 machloader

machloader imports and exports data between text files, such as CSV, and a Machbase server. It uses APPEND mode by default and supports more complex conversions through schema files.

Options

machloader -h

Option	Description
`-s`, `--server=SERVER`	Server IP address (default: 127.0.0.1)
`-P`, `--port=PORT`	Server port (default: 5656)
`-u`, `--user=USER`	Username (default: SYS)
`-p`, `--password=PASSWORD`	User password (default: MANAGER)
`-i`, `--import`	Import mode
`-o`, `--export`	Export mode
`-c`, `--schema`	Schema file generation mode
`-t`, `--table=TABLE_NAME`	Target table name
`-f`, `--form=SCHEMA_FILE`	Schema filename
`-d`, `--data=DATA_FILE`	Data filename
`-m`, `--mode=MODE`	Import mode: `append` (default) or `replace`
`-H`, `--header`	Treat the first import row as a header; write column names as a header on export
`-D`, `--delimiter=DELIMITER`	Field delimiter (default: `,`)
`-n`, `--newline=NEWLINE`	Record delimiter (default: `\n`)
`-e`, `--enclosure=ENCLOSURE`	Field enclosure character
`-r`, `--format=FORMAT`	File format (default: csv)
`-E`, `--encoding=CHARSET`	File encoding: UTF8 (default), ASCII, MS949, KSC5601, EUCJP, SHIFTJIS, BIG5, GB231280, UTF16
`-F`, `--dateformat=DATEFORMAT`	Date format for datetime columns. Supports `unixtimestamp` and `nanotimestamp`
`-z`, `--timezone`	Timezone, such as `+0900` or `-1230`
`-a`, `--atime`	Include `_ARRIVAL_TIME` (excluded by default)
`-C`, `--create`	Create the table on import if missing
`-l`, `--log=LOG_FILE`	Execution log file
`-b`, `--bad=BAD_FILE`	Bad file for failed import rows
`--first=FIRST_ROW`	First row number to process
`-I`, `--silent`	Run without banner or progress output
`-S`, `--slash`	Set the backslash delimiter
`--summary`	Display selected options and exit without processing
`-h`, `--help`	Display options

Importing CSV Files

Basic import:

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data

Specify a server connection:

machloader -i -s 192.168.0.10 -P 5656 -u SYS -p MANAGER \
    -d data.csv -t sensor_data

Import CSV with a header:

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data -H

Delete existing data before import (replace mode):

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data -m replace

Start at a specific row:

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data --first=10

Exporting CSV Files

machloader -o -d output.csv -t sensor_data
machloader -o -d output.csv -t sensor_data -H

Export including _ARRIVAL_TIME:

machloader -o -d output.csv -t sensor_data -a

ARRAY Columns

Machbase DBMS 8.7.0 imports and exports ARRAY columns as [value,null,value]. Enclose the CSV field because the ARRAY contains commas.

1,"[1.5,null,3.5,4.5]"

A NULL field represents a whole-array NULL; "[null,null]" represents a non-NULL ARRAY whose elements are all NULL. Automatic table creation with -C does not infer ARRAY types. Explicitly create tables that require ARRAY columns before importing. For type and NULL rules, see Numeric ARRAY Types.

Encoding and Delimiters

EUC-KR encoding with a tab delimiter:

machloader -i -d data.txt -t table_name -E MS949 -D '\t'

Pipe (|) delimiter:

machloader -i -d data.txt -t table_name -D '|'
machloader -o -d data.txt -t table_name -D '|'

Specifying a Timezone

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data -z +0900
machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data -z -1230

Specifying datetime Formats

Set the format directly on the command line:

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data \
    -F "_arrival_time YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS"

Import Unix timestamps:

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data \
    -F "time_column unixtimestamp"

Import nanosecond timestamps:

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data \
    -F "time_column nanotimestamp"

Using Schema Files

Generate a schema file:

machloader -c -t sensor_data -f sensor_data.fmt

Import/export with a schema file:

machloader -i -f sensor_data.fmt -d data.csv
machloader -o -f sensor_data.fmt -d output.csv

Example schema file (sensor_data.fmt):

table sensor_data
{
    name   varchar(64);
    time   datetime;
    value  double;
}
DATEFORMAT time "YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS"

Ignore a specific column:

table sensor_data
{
    id     integer;
    name   varchar(64);
    extra  varchar(32) IGNORE;
}

Log and Bad Files

machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data \
    -l import.log -b import.bad

-l: Import execution log with success/failure statistics
-b: Failed row data in its original format

Automatic Table Creation

Create the table if missing. Columns are named c0, c1, … and have type varchar(32767).

machloader -i -d data.csv -t new_table -C
machloader -i -d data.csv -t new_table -C -H   # Use header values as column names

Examples

# Check settings before import (--summary)
machloader -i -d data.csv -t sensor_data --summary

# Import a large file with log and bad files
machloader -i -d bigdata.csv -t sensor_data \
    -H -z +0900 \
    -l import_20240101.log -b import_20240101.bad

# Export the entire table
machloader -o -d export_20240101.csv -t sensor_data -H -a

Last updated on Sep 9, 2026

16.4.2 machsql 16.4.4 csvimport / csvexport